Rolling-mill.



PATENTED NOV. l5, 1904.

R. G. STIEFEL.

ROLLING MILL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, 1902,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Il() MODEL.

...wv H m.

PATENTED NOV. l5, 1.904.

R. C. STIEFEL.

ROLLING MILL.

AEPLIOATION FILED APR. 12. 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NO MODEL.

R. C. STIEFEL.

RLLING MILL.

APPLICATION FILED APB..12. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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vezalovy PATENTED NOV. l5, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Nol 774,795.

UNITED STATES Patented November 15, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

RALPH CHARLES STIEFEL, OE ELLVVOOD CITY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO NATIONAL TUBE COMPANY, A CORPORA- TION OF NEWV JERSEY.

ROLLING-MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,795, dated November 15, 1904.

Application led April 12, 1902l To crZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH CHARLES STIEFEL, a citizen of the Swiss Republic, residing at Ellwood City, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rolling-Mills, of which the following is a specification accompanied by drawings.

My invention relates to machinery for rolling-mills, but particularly to machinery for rolling tubular bodies.

The objects of my invention are broadly to expedite, simplify, and reduce the cost of manufacturing hot-rolled tubular bodies.

Further objects of my invention are to enable the tubular body to be quickly rotated about its longitudinal aXis when desired and after having been rolled to be quickly and forcibly pushed toward and between the rolls.

Other objects of my invention will hereinafter appear in the accompanying specification.

To these ends my invention consists in means for carrying out the above objects.

It further consists in apparatus and devices having the mode of operation substantially as hereinafter fully described and shown in the accompanying specification and drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tube-rolling mill embodying my invention, certain parts not essential to an understanding of the present invention being omitted. Fig. 2 is a plan view, and Fig. 3 is a front elevation, of the same mill. Fig. 4c is an elevation, partly in section, on the line 2 Q of Fig. 2; and Figs.

5 and 6 are longitudinal views through the tubular body and table, partly in section, with portions of the apparatus removed.

Referring to the drawings, the drivingshaft may be actuated by any suitable meansas, for instance, a steam-engine b'. This shaft b is geared to drive the two gears c and CZ in reverse directions, the idler CZ being interposed for this purpose. The gears c and CZ turn loosely upon the shaft e. A

double friction-clutch g of any suitable design connects either gear c or cZ at will to drive the shaft e. Any suitable shifting device may be used to operate the clutch-21s,

Serial No. 102,650- (No model.)

for instance, that shown at Zz. One of the two rolls, preferably the lower roll j', is driven by shaft e through a suitable iieXible connection f in the well-known manner. The upper roll Zr is geared to the lower roll and driven thereby through the flexible connections f and gears f. The rolls jand have grooves of different sizes corresponding to and coperating with differently-sized mandrels in making tubes having various diameters and gage. The rolls should, as usual, have means for raising or lowering one roll,

as the upper roll, and means for forcing the said roll yieldingly upward against stops. In the present instance the upper roll is pressed up against the screws .e by any suitable means, such as a link y, to which is connected a pivoted and weighted lever fa.

Preferably an electric motor c is provided for quickly raising and lowering the top roll between passes of the tubes in order to reduce the tubes by closing the top roll and by passing the tube consecutively through smaller grooves. By this means the range of size that can be rolled is increased with a limited number of grooves. As shown, the motor is geared to raise and lower the screws z, and any suitable gearing connecting the motor with the screws .e may be provided.

The gearing shown consists of a pinion zo, meshing with a gear Z, connected to ashaft s, while there are worm and wheel connections between the screws .a and the shaft s, whereby the shafts of the screws .e are rotated and they are raised and lowered relatively to the rollers Zt'. It will be readily seen that if the screws e are raised the roller Z: will be moved upwardly in correspondence therewith by means of the weighted connections at 3,/ and According' to my invention the mandrels are so supported that the tube may be rolled iirst onto one mandrel-bar Z and then off again in the reverse direction. Little or no work may be done in one direction. Means are provided for holding the mandrels and mandrelbars so as to resist compressing and pulling action of the rolls, and, as shown, a support or frame fr may be detachably afxed to a portion of the frarne of the machine for supporting and rigidly holding the tail ends of the mandrel-bars Z, the whole frame of the machine resting upon a suitably firm foundation. The tail ends of the mandrel-bars Z extend through the support 'la and are secured thereon by suitable means, shown in this instance as plug 1, to which the mandrel-bars Z are connected. A portion 2 of the mandrel-bar may be screwfthreaded to cooperate with an inwardly-screw-threaded portion on the plug 1. r1`he plug is inserted in an aperture in the frame or support r and, as shown, projects slightly beyond the frame at 3. Over the projecting end of the plug is placed a washer 4, pressed down upon the support by lock-nuts afixed upon the outer screw-threaded end.

of the plug. This construction prevents any longitudinal movement in either direction and also permits longitudinal adjustment of the mandrel-bar.

The support r is rigidly connected directly to the housing /t of the rolls by heavy side rods if, keyed or otherwise secured to the housings at one end and preferably secured by means of the same construction described in connection with the mandrel-bars to the support r.

According to my invention a guide-table .0 is provided which can be quickly reciprocated to and from the rolls by any suitable means, as by means of a steam-ram p. The table is shown in this instance as guided by sleeves q, sliding upon the rods t, which connect the support fr with the roll-housings. A series of transverse bars 7, provided with upwardlyprojecting lugs 6, are afhxed to the table 0, while adjacent to the outer cross-bars 7 and to the table are affixed the cross-bars 8 and 9, provided with a number of apertures corresponding to the number and position of the grooves and rolls. The apertures in the crossbar 9 are just large enough to allow the mandrel-bars Z to fit loosely therein, while the apertures in the cross-bar 8 are large enough to permit both the mandrel-bars and the tubular billets to pass through. Guide-bushings 10 are arranged to fit within the holes in crossbar 8 and over the mand rel-bars Z. The mandrel-bars Z thus have a plurality of points of support in the cross-bars 8 and 9, which points of support are movable relative to the mandrel-bars and afford a firm support and guide therefor.

The tube 11, which is passing through the rolls in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 5, abuts against a guide-bushing 10 of cross-bar 8 and pushes the latter from its seat within the aperture in cross-bar 8, as illustrated in Fig. 5; but before the bushing can strike against the cross-bar 9 on table o the table 'is moved away from the rolls by means of the steam-ram p to substantially the position shown in Figs and 6. The tube then passes completely through the rolls without meeting any obstacle, the mandrel-bars being guided at the crossbars 8 and 9, and thus prevented from buckling and from excessive vibration. When the tube has. passed completely through the rolls, they are reversed, and the table o is moved, by means of the ram p, toward the rolls, whereby the cross-bar 9 on the table abuts against guide-bushing 10 and rapidly pushes the tube in between the rolls. Previous to this operation the rolls may have been brought a little closer together, so as to produce afresh reduction of the tube on the return stroke, and a tube may be rolled several times back and forth in this manner through the same groove before transferring to the next smaller groove.

According to my invention suitable means are provided for rotating a tube about its longitudinal axis, whereby its position in the rolls may be changed, and even rolling is obtained and the tube is finished in a more eficient manner. While different means may be provided for accomplishing this end, I have found a construction illustrated more particularly in Figs. 1 and 4 to operate eiciently and well and to be simple in construction. According to this construction rollers 12 and 13 are provided, arranged transversely to the mill and, as shown,substantially parallel to the rolls jiu. Each roller 12 and 13 is suitably grooved transversely to its direction of greatest length, so that the surface of the rollers is roughened, although other means may be provided for roughening the surface of the rollers. The rollers 12 and 13 are arranged in such manner that each may be moved in the direction of its longitudinal axis. I provide for this movement the roller-shafts 14 and 15, which may be slidably mounted in the housing of the machine. Said rollers 12 and 13 are preferably so set that the space between them is normally less than the diameter of the tube to be rolled.

Suitable springs 16 (shown in Fig. 1) serve to press the rollers toward each other with a given pressure. The tubular billet to be rolled forces the rollers 12 13 apart. Vhen the tube has entirely passed through the rolls L7' It, it may be turned about its longitudinal axis before its direction of movement is reversed and it is again passed through the rolls j 1. To rotate the tube about its longitudinal axis, means are provided for moving the rollers 12 and 13 relatively to each other.

As shown, a double bell-crank lever 17, pivoted at 18 to the housing of the machine, is connected, by means of pins and slots at 19, to the shafts 111 15 of the rollers 12 13. By then oscillating the double bell-crank lever 17 by means of a handle 2O or by other suitable means the rollers 12 13 may be moved relatively to each other in the direction of their greatest length-that is to say, in the direction of their longitudinal axis-whereby a tube grasped between the rollers will be ro- IOO IOS

TIO

tated about its axis. Preferably the tube is turned through an angle of ninety degrees. This turning operation may be repeated after each pass, which brings the tube to the rear end of the mill. When the tube passes from the rear to the front end of the mill, it is supported by a table 21, while the operator grips and supports the end of the tube With a pair of tongs, and the turning of the tube on the front end of the mill is done by the operator.

IVithout departing from the spirit of my invention it is to be understood that any suitable connections may be provided whereby one operator may control the steam-ram for reciprocating a table, the reversing-clutch for the rolls j It, and the electric motor for moving the top roll 7J relatively to the lower roll.

The Whole operation of the rolling-mill is extremely simple and very efficient.

Obviously some features of the invention may be used Without other features and may be embodied in Widely-varying forms. For this reason, and Without enumerating equivalents nor limiting myself to the construction shown and described,

I claim, and desire to obtain by Letters Patent, the following:

1. In a rolling-mill, the combination with the rolls, of turning devices having roughened surfaces for engaging and positively rotating the billet about its longitudinal axis, and means for positively reciprocating said turning devices transversely to the direction oflrlnovement of the billet independently of the ro s.

2. In a rolling-mill, the combination With the rolls, of spring-pressed devices for engaging and positively rotating the billet about its longitudinal axis, and means for positively reciprocating said turning devices transversely to the direction of movement of the billet independently of the rolls.

3. In a rolling-mill, the combination with the rolls of rollers provided With roughened surfaces and arranged transversely to the mill, means normally acting to press said rollers toward each other, and means for moving the rollers simultaneously and oppositely in the direction of their longitudinal axes, substantially as described.

4. In a rolling-mill, the combination With the rolls of grooved rollers arranged transversely to the mill, means normally acting to press said rollers toward each other, and means for moving the rollers in the direction of their axes relatively to each other, substantially as described.

5. In a rolling-mill, the combination With the rolls of grooved rollers arranged substantially parallel to the rolls of the mill, means for normally acting to press said rollers together, and means for moving the rollers relatively to each other in a longitudinal direction,

substantially as described.

6. In a rolling-mill, the combination with the rolls, of a mandrel-bar, a table provided with separate and distinct front and rear guides for the mandrel-bar at the front and rear of the table in the form of apertured cross-bars, the mandrel-bar being fixed relatively to said guides, and means for reciprocating the table and guides.

7. In a rolling-mill, the combination with the rolls, of a plurality of mandrel-bars, a table provided with separate and distinct front and rear guides for said bars at the front and rear of the table in the form of apertured cross-bars, the mandrel-bars being fixedrelatively to said guides, and means for reciprocating the table and guides relatively to the rolls.

8. In a rolling-mill, the combination with the rolls, of a stationary mandrel-bar, and a table relatively to said mandrel-bar and provided vvith separate and distinct front and rear guides therefor at the front and rear of the table in the form of apertured cross-bars.

9. In a rolling-mill, the combination with the rolls and a mandrel-bar, of a table provided with a guide for the mandrel-bar and tubular billet to be rolled, and With a separate guide for the mandrel alone, and means for actuating the table for pushing it with said billet toward the rolls, substantially as described.

10. In a rolling-mill, the combination with the rolls and a mandrel7 of a reciprocating table provided With a front guide for the mandrel and billet, and means back of said guide and shiftable relatively to the mandrel, and connected with the table for pushing the billet to be rolled toward the rolls, substantially as described.

11. In a rolling-mill, the combination with the rolls and mandrel-bars, of a table movable relatively thereto and provided with suitable means for guiding and supporting the said mandrel-bars and the billets to be rolled, substantially as described.

12. In a reversing rolling-mill, the combination of rolls, a mandrel-bar, a motor, and means separate from the mandrel-bar and operated by said motor for guiding the tubular billet in both directions and for pushing said billet toward the rolls upon reversing, substantially as described.

13. In a rolling-lnill, the combination With the rolls and a mandrel-bar, of a table provided With transverse guides with apertures therein for the reception of said mandrel-bar, a plug adapted to enter one of said apertures and movable on the mandrel-bar, and means IIO for reciprocating the table to and from the rolls, substantially as described.

14. In a rolling-mill, the combination with the rolls and a mandrel-bar, of a table provided With transverse guides with apertures therein for the reception of said mandrel-bar, said apertures being of sufficient size to ad- ISO Init the mandrel-bar and one of the apertures being of a size to admit both said bar and a tubular billet, a plug adapted to enter one of said apertures and movable on tlie mandreln bar, and means for reciprocating tbe table to and from the rolls, substantially as described.

15. In a rolling-mill, the combination with the rolls and mandrel-bars, of a table, means for reciprocating` the same, means on said table for guiding and supporting tlie mandrelbars and tubular billets, and means also on said table for pushing the billets toward the rolls, substantially as described.

16. In a 1olling-mill, the combination with 1902, at Ell- 

